Configuration Management Specialist​/PLM Administrator

Configuration Management Specialist / PLM Administrator

This contract role focuses on providing immediate configuration management support for day-to-day engineering change, bill of materials (BOM), item, and part management activities within Arena PLM. You will help maintain continuity across engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and production workflows while a long-term solution is recruited. The position requires someone who can ramp quickly, maintain accurate product data across PLM and ERP systems, and support existing processes in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

The role is initially a 3-month contract with the possibility to extend or convert to full-time, depending on business needs and candidate fit.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain product data, parts, BOMs, assemblies, and items within Arena PLM.
• Create, submit, and review Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Review submitted ECOs for accuracy, completeness, and potential discrepancies before final submission.
• Compare BOMs against mechanical drawings to identify mismatches or errors, including quantity discrepancies and incorrect part references.
• Support finished good SKU creation and part number creation within Arena PLM.
• Request and track nameplates for new finished good products.
• Monitor and follow up on approvals for deviations, ECOs, and Manufacturing Change Orders (MCOs).
• Ensure manufacturing and cross-functional stakeholders are informed of approved changes and understand their impact.
• Support manual data alignment and reconciliation between Arena PLM and ERP systems.
• Create and manage related Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) within the ERP system.
• Create items in the ERP system and route requests to appropriate departments for implementation.
• Support Arena PLM access management, including license assignments, user access changes, and permissions.
• Maintain approval routings, workflows, and perform system administration tasks within Arena PLM.
• Run or support weekly ECO meetings with quality, production, purchasing, and other stakeholders.
• Update Jira tickets related to part setup requests, nameplates, and change status updates to ensure accurate tracking.
• Help maintain operational continuity and the status quo while a long-term configuration management solution is recruited.
• Support product releases, finished good SKUs, and manufacturing readiness activities as needed.
• Contribute to process improvements over the long term if the role extends or converts to full-time.

Essential Skills

• 3+ years of experience in configuration management, PLM administration, engineering change, or manufacturing data management.
• Hands-on experience using Arena PLM for product data, BOM, and change management.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment.
• Understanding of engineering BOM (EBOM) versus manufacturing BOM (MBOM).
• Understanding of make-versus-buy parts and related decision criteria.
• Knowledge of part setup requirements and master data concepts.
• Strong understanding of BOM structure and part numbering schemes.
• Experience supporting ECOs, ECRs, MCOs, deviations, or similar change management workflows.
• ERP experience with systems such as SAP, Net Suite, Plex, or similar platforms.
• Ability to manage and reconcile data between PLM and ERP systems.
• Ability to review mechanical drawings and identify BOM or quantity discrepancies.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to catch data or documentation errors.
• Ability to ramp quickly with limited training and adapt to existing processes.
• Strong communication skills and comfort working cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and production teams.
• Experience with configuration management tools and configuration management software.
• Experience working with bills of material and performing accurate data entry in technical systems.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with Solid Works PDM or reviewing Solid Works mechanical drawings.
• Experience with Plex ERP.
• Experience with Net Suite or SAP in a manufacturing context.
• Jira experience for ticket tracking and status updates.
• Experience supporting product releases, finished good SKUs, or manufacturing readiness activities.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced manufacturing or hardware product environment.
• Ability to support and drive process improvements over the long term if the role extends or converts to full-time.

Work Environment

This role offers an onsite or hybrid work arrangement and requires candidates to be local to the area. Standard work hours are typically 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You will work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and production teams in a collaborative manufacturing environment. The position involves daily use of Arena PLM, ERP systems such as SAP, Net Suite, or Plex, and tools like Jira and potentially Solid Works PDM.

The work setting emphasizes accuracy, cross-functional communication, and adherence to established configuration management and change…